Team Work
by TxBlueEyes
Summary: Missing scene at the end of Habeas Corpse. Can't stand for CSI:Miami to end! Horatio and Eric work together to save a little boy from his enraged father.


The last echoes of the team's laughter had faded by the time Eric and Horatio made it out to the deck. The team had met at the club earlier to show their support for Ryan. Eric had stayed to show his support for Horatio. He knew something was bothering H but one look at him told Eric he wasn't ready to talk.

The day was typical for southern Florida, warm and bright from the sun and plenty of people out enjoying it. Eric began watching a mother and her son playing in the surf. The blond woman was pointing something out to the little boy over the water. The son must have found whatever it was because he was jumping up and down and had a smile on his face that would have made the Cheshire cat proud.

After a few moments of playing in the surf, the boy's attention was drawn to something down the beach. Eric watched as he ran and threw himself into the arms of a man who was running towards him. The embrace brought a smile to Eric's face.

Finally, Eric turned to H. "I heard you made a mess of the lab today."

A slight smile flashed across Horatio's face. He then pulled off his sunglasses and turned to Eric.

"She should have come to me. Instead she risked the lab and Mr. Wolfe's life."

"I know. Look H, I know what you're thinking. None of this was your fault."

"My team, my responsibility."

"Maybe, if she'd been a team player. But her actions show she was only worried about herself. But I can see you're going to need more convincing. How about I work on that over a steak dinner?"

Before Horatio could answer, a scream pierced the air. When they looked toward the sound, Eric couldn't believe what he saw. The once happy reunion at the beach had been replaced. Now the man had the boy in a head lock and was pointing a gun at the mother.

"Why did you take him from me?" The man screamed in rage. "He's my son!"

Eric and Horatio ran as one to the bottom of the deck. Then Eric turned to H.

"What do you want me to do?"

"Try to work your way behind him. I'll talk to him but I think our only chance is to get that gun away from him."

Eric watched as Horatio started towards the enraged father. The man was still screaming at the woman, while maintaining a death grip on the boy.

"Sir, sir. Let's talk about this." Horatio said as he slowly made his way closer.

Eric worried about H. He was approaching without his gun drawn. When H had his Glock aimed at the bad guys, to Eric he seemed like an impenetrable fortress. Right now, he just looked like an easy target.

"Sir, can we talk about this?"

The man finally noticed Horatio. "Who are you? This doesn't concern you!"

"Daddy, please let me go!"

Despite his rantings that this was his son, the father seemed oblivious to his son's pleas.

"My name is Horatio Caine. I just want to help."

Eric began trying to work his way behind the chaos without drawing attention to himself. Since everyone else had run frantically from the scene, Eric was pretty obvious. But as long as Horatio could keep the father's attention, he didn't think he'd be noticed.

He felt as if everything was happening in slow motion. He'd rush the father, slap away the gun pointed at H and rescue the son if he could. But he knew that if the father became aware of his presence, someone could get seriously hurt. So he kept slowly inching his way towards the chaos. He wasn't listening to what H was saying but he noticed that his voice stayed calm and steady. So like H. It must be doing the trick because the father had stopped screaming and seemed to be listening to Horatio. The son was keeping his eyes closed and softly crying.

"Just keep talking, H. I'm almost there." Eric thought as he glanced at the boy.

He couldn't believe this was the same boy he had seen so happy earlier. Gone was his joyous smile. It had been replaced by tears streaming down his face. Eric was amazed that they could flow so freely as tight as he had them shut.

"Hang on. You're almost safe." Eric had barely finished the thought when the boy opened his eyes and looked up at Eric. He put his finger to his lips, hoping the boy would understand he couldn't give Eric away. The boy stayed quiet for a few seconds but suddenly, he seemed to find courage he probably didn't know he had. He bit down on his father's arm, hard.

That's when everything went crazy.

The father's rage and the sudden pain caused him to fling the boy to the sand. "I'm doing this for you, Timmy!"

As the father continued to rage at his son, Timmy got up and ran for Horatio. At the same time, H was running for Timmy. When he reached Timmy, he grabbed him and then whirled him around, putting himself between Timmy and the father. As Horatio tried to put distance between them as well, Eric was drawing his gun.

But the father had already aimed and pulled the trigger. Then a second gunshot went off. Eric hadn't wanted to do that but he was grateful that Timmy didn't see. He then walked over, got the gun and checked his pulse. Timmy's father was gone.

"Clear." Eric said as he tucked the gun in his pants waist. He wondered what could have caused him to come to this.

"Help them."

It was said so quietly, Eric wondered if he had really heard it. He turned to the sound and saw the blond woman standing a few feet away, staring at the ground. She was so pale and her eyes so wide, Eric followed her gaze.

"H!"

Eric ran to him and gently lifted him off of Timmy.

"Are you all right?" Eric asked as he helped the boy to his feet. Instead of answering Eric, he flung himself into his mother's arms.

"Oh, my baby! You're safe! You're safe!"

Satisfied that the boy was okay, Eric turned back to Horatio who was trying to sit up.

"H, are you okay?"

"I think so. What about the boy?"

"He's fine. You're the one who was shot."

Eric helped him take off his suit jacket. There was blood on the right side of his shirt. He pulled on the shirt, trying to expose the wound. The bullet had grazed his side, right below his rib cage. For a moment, Eric flashed back to several months ago when Horatio had been shot by another enraged father. He didn't like to think about how close he'd come to losing H then.

"It's just a graze. I'll call an ambulance."

"For 'just a graze', it burns like fire."

Eric helped him lay back down on the sand and then used the ruined jacket as a compress to stop the bleeding. He pulled out his cell and called an ambulance.

"Ma'am, an ambulance is on the way." Eric said to the mother. She was still clinging to Timmy.

"Thank you. Thank you both. You saved my boy."

Eric hoped her love would help Timmy get over what had happened today.

**CSI:M**

The ambulance had come and taken Timmy and his mother to the hospital. The paramedics were working on Horatio's wound. The medical examiner was loading Timmy's father onto a stretcher to take him back for an autopsy. The patrolmen were taking witness statements. Eric was looking out at the water, thankful that peace had been restored, however fleeting.

The setting sun reflected off something in the sand and Eric glanced down in its direction. It was H's sunglasses. He'd taken them off when they were standing on the deck and put them around his neck. They must have fallen off during the chaos. He picked them up and headed to Horatio.

"H, how are you feeling?"

"I'll be fine. Just need a few stitches and some antibiotics."

"I found these on the beach." Eric said, handing the sunglasses to H.

Horatio smiled as he reached for them. "I remember when you first gave these to me."

"Yeah, best tin I ever pulled." Eric smiled, remembering. Horatio had promised he would be there. And he always was.

"I'm glad you're on my team."

"Me too, H. Now let's go get that steak dinner."


End file.
